Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology – Enzyme – proenzyme; compositions thereof; process for... – Hydrolase
Patent
1998-04-06
2000-06-20
Prouty, Rebecca E.
Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology
Enzyme , proenzyme; compositions thereof; process for...
Hydrolase
435195, 435277, 4353201, 435276, 536 232, C12N 942, C12N 914, D21C 100, C13J 700
Patent
active
060777028
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an enzyme. In addition, the present invention relates to a nucleotide sequence coding for the enzyme. Also, the present invention relates to a promoter, wherein the promoter can be used to control the expression of the nucleotide sequence coding for the enzyme.
In particular, the enzyme of the present invention is a glucanase enzyme--i.e. an enzyme that can degrade .beta.-1,4-glucosidic bonds.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known that it is desirable to direct expression of a gene of interest ("GOI") in certain tissues of an organism--such as a filamentous fungus (such as Aspergillus niger) or even a plant crop. The resultant protein or enzyme may be useful for the organism itself. For example, it may be desirable to produce crop protein products with an optimised amino acid composition and so increase the nutritive value of a crop. For example, the crop may be made more useful as a feed. In the alternative, it may be desirable to isolate the resultant protein or enzyme and then use the protein or enzyme to prepare, for example, food compositions. In this regard, the resultant protein or enzyme can be a component of the food composition or it can be used to prepare food compositions, including altering the characteristics or appearance of food compositions.
It may even be desirable to use the organism, such as a filamentous fungus or a crop plant, to express non-plant genes, such as for the same purposes.
Also, it may be desirable to use an organism, such as a filamentous fungus or a crop plant, to express mammalian genes. Examples of the latter products include interferons, insulin, blood factors and plasminogen activators.
It is also desirable to use micro-organisms, such as filamentous fungi, to prepare products from GOIs by use of promoters that are active in the micro-organisms.
Fruit and vegetable cell walls largely consist of polysaccharide, the major components being pectin, cellulose and xyloglucan, R. R. Selvendran and J. A. Robertson, IFR Report 1989. Numerous cell wall models have been proposed which attempt to incorporate the essential properties of strength and flexibility (P. Albersheim, Sci. Am. 232, 81-95, 1975;, P. Albersheim, Plant Biochem. 3rd Edition (Bonner and Varner), Ac. Press, 1976; T. Hayashi, Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol. & Plant Mol. Biol., 40, 139-168, 1989).
The composition of the plant cell wall is complex and variable. Polysaccharides are mainly found in the form of long chains of cellulose (the main structural component of the plant cell wall), hemicellulose (comprising various .beta.-xylan chains, such as xyloglucans) and pectic substances (consisting of galacturonans and rhamnogalacturonans; arabinans; and galactans and arabinogalactans).
In particular, glucans are polysaccharides made up exclusively of glucose subunits. Typical examples of glucans are starch and cellulose.
The enzymes that degrade glucans are collectively referred to as glucanases. A typical glucanase is .beta.-1,4-endoglucanase.
.beta.-1,4-endoglucanases have uses in many industries. For example, in the brewing industry, barley is used for production of malt, and, in the latter years, as adjunct in the brewing process. When the quality of the malt is poor, or barley has been used as an adjunct, problems with high viscosity in the wort can arise because of .beta.-glucans from the barley. In this regard, barley contains large quantities of mixed .beta.-1,3/1,4-glucans of very high molecular weight. When dissolved, these glucans produce high viscosity solutions, which can cause troubles in some applications. For example, the high viscosity reduces the filterability of the wort and can lead to unacceptable long filtration times. To avoid these problems .beta.-glucanase has been traditionally added to wort to avoid such problems--i.e. the problem with glucans can be avoided by addition of enzymes, in particular, glucanases, which degrade the polymers.
Further information on these problems may be found in the Grindsted brochure called "Glucanase GV",
REFERENCES:
Okada et al., Agric. Biol. Chem., 49(5), 1257-1265, Feb. 1985.
Sakamoto et al., DDBJ Database, Accession No. D12901, Aug. 1992.
Dalboge et al., geseq 32 Database, Accession No., Q43452, Oct. 1993.
Ooi et al., Swiss-prot 35 Database, Accession No. p22669, Aug. 1991.
Baruch Anita
Madrid Susan
Rasmussen Preben
Danisco A/S
Kowalski Thomas J.
Monshipouri M.
Prouty Rebecca E.
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